Michael Simms: Politics as a Spiritual Practice

If our goal is to practice spirituality in everything we do, then it’s necessary to adopt a spiritual practice to deal with the polis, the structures of civic and national life that employ laws, police, armies and bureaucracies that govern our lives. Thus, as part of our practice, we should consider what we owe to the society beyond our individual concerns. How involved should we be in the civic institutions that rule our public life? And as a corollary, how involved in institutional religion should we be?

As we attempt to answer these questions, let’s keep in mind that a spiritual practice is not necessarily based in an established religion; that is, religion is not a requirement of spirituality. In fact, religious institutions have always been political by nature, and have often been a tool of oppressive governments. In America, established religions have a history of supporting slavery, war, racial segregation, rape, colonialism and capitalism. They are heavily invested in real estate and broadcasting and often ally themselves with politicians who take radical right-wing stands on contentious issues such as abortion, censorship and public education. These political positions are often antithetical to both spirituality and social justice. So, if you have a problem with the politics of organized religion, as do I, then your spiritual practice may preclude being a member of a congregation. 

            However, if we separate ourselves from established religion, then we need to ask what is spirituality? How can we establish a spirituality apart from religious institutions? To answer this question, we may embark on a program of study. But then, we run into some of the same problems we find in established religions. If you walk into a bookstore, for example, much of the material on what is classified as spirituality is in the Self-Help section. Some of these books are profound and transformative, but a lot of them are, well, flaky, and it’s difficult to sort through the various texts to determine what is helpful to us personally and what is not. Another problem is that the self-appointed gurus who write these books also offer seminars, workshops, retreats… All of which cost money to attend. It seems that spiritual awakening, even outside the established religions, is a major industry. In America, every desire, even our yearning for spiritual growth, becomes a money-making opportunity. 

            Also, I’m bothered by the term self-help because it implies that spirituality is a matter of individual concern. Perhaps this approach is reasonable because any real change has to begin from within. If we aspire to change the world we have to start by changing ourselves. As the saying goes, Become the change you want to see in the world. Or to paraphrase Confucius,  virtue begins in the heart, and it ripples outward to transform the family, community, nation, and the world. All fair and good, but ideally, I would like to be part of a spiritual community, so I don’t have to discover and follow the path all by myself.

            One may begin to wonder whether it is even possible to follow a spiritual path and still be part of society. We may think a spiritual path leads inward while our commitments to society lead outward. The contrast between the concepts of spirituality and politics can be seen in the etymology of the two words. Spirit comes from the word spiritus, breath, and it is related to the words respirate and aspire. So spirituality is the invisible essence that gives us life. The animating principle. The ghost in the machine. Politics, on the other hand, is derived from the word polis, city. Ultimately, politics is about the art of being a citizen, that is, being concerned with the organization and administration of our society, and today, it is often about the police: police brutality and the policing of our people. And politics also involves paying attention to and sometimes becoming involved in the policies of other countries. As I write this, many American students are protesting their universities’ support for Israel’s violent policies in Gaza. Spirituality and politics. The inner and the outer. It’s hard to imagine two words more opposed to each other in their meaning and implications. So what does it mean when we bring together these two opposing ideas in the phrase spiritual politics? What is it to practice both spirituality and politics in the same action?     

            Certainly, if we care about the spirit, we pay attention to the here and now, and part of the present moment involves our obligations to our families, our communities, and the larger society. So inevitably, the spiritual life is about more than just ourselves. The mystical must include the political. In order to grow spiritually we have to change not only ourselves but the world. The healing within and the healing without are entwined. Thus, authentic spiritual life requires political awareness and activism. Since spirituality requires morality, and modern life connects our everyday actions to people all over the world, we are obligated to engage in the struggle to make social life more rational, just, sustainable and caring.

In a search for meaning, we might dive into politics as a source of fulfillment and purpose. At first glance, this seems like a wonderful idea and is certainly driven by pure intentions. Life’s fulfillment emerges from individual participation in the service of humane ideals. Working to benefit society maximizes individual happiness. Yet, it is in the socially active political organizations that some of the most unhappy, heartbroken, or angry people can be found. The stress in many of these organizations is more akin to the front lines of a war than a bastion of personal fulfillment and well-being.

What often happens for many who are active in political and social issues, as Daniel Strain points out, is a growing set of personal challenges. Over time, the seemingly insurmountable nature of many social ills becomes more apparent. Along the way, political opponents reveal themselves to be much more devious, inflexible, or unreachable than previously suspected. The very groups one works within, which at first seem composed of brothers and sisters in arms, eventually reveal themselves to be a microcosm of the very problems the group set out to address. The infighting and internal politics can sometimes become as exasperating as the mission. Throughout these experiences hopelessness, hatred, and bitterness eventually arise. When this happens, action groups can sometimes fall apart, their members burn out, or worse – political or social action groups can lose their way and create more harm than good.

Nowhere in our lofty proclamations on the importance of political participation do we see what to do in the face of these struggles. How do we deal with failure? Why should we try? How do we fight evil without becoming evil? How do we simply get along with others productively? What do we do when hope runs out?

The reason that idealistic activists burn out is that in order to do good in the world, one must first have a solid spiritual foundation. So we should begin by placing the focus of spiritual practice on the individual practitioner – one’s personal development. This is what makes possible the expression of political action as a spiritual practice. By fortifying ourselves spiritually, we become more capable of doing good in the world, and more capable of doing it for the long-term.

Having a solid spiritual foundation involves re-framing our lives through a disciplined set of habits that correspond to our values. In most cases, this re-framing takes years of practice, but if we are patient, then eventually our responses to events in the world are profoundly altered to provide sustainable happiness.

Being active in politics is like any other action, for example, trimming a hedge. We can trim the hedge with distraction and impatience, or we can trim the hedge with mindfulness and compassion for those guests and passers-by who might enjoy seeing it neat and attractive. We can use everything we do as an opportunity for spiritual practice. So, whether we practice yoga, play music, or attend religious services, we can aspire to do these actions while connecting to our higher power. None of these actions are, by themselves, spiritual; rather spirituality exists in our attitude toward them. 

In recent decades, we’ve seen religious organizations from both the right and the left take strong stands on such diverse issues as abortion, civil rights, sex education, LGBTQ+ rights, and support for Israel. Like many others, I question whether churches, synagogues and mosques have the right to call themselves “charities” while using donations to influence governmental polices. I would argue that religious organizations should back away from partisan politics or give up their charitable status. They should, in my opinion, model themselves on Twelve Step organizations which are assiduously non-political because the original founders were concerned that disagreements between members on controversial issues would divide their communities and distract from their primary mission to bring relief to people suffering from addiction. However, individual members of Twelve Step organizations may, outside of the fellowship, be involved in political activity and debate. 

It is essential that people of faith, whatever their denomination, practice spirituality in all their affairs, including those involving citizenship. After all, what good comes from talking about fundamental values if they cannot be applied to the world outside the safety of temples? Although spiritual organizations, as such, should have no opinions about political issues, many of their members should be politically active, applying their spiritual principles to the real world.  

Politics can be a part of spirituality. But that synthesis does not mean meditating in the morning and then going out to do politics cavalierly convinced that we are right in whatever we do. The fact that our political positions come from spiritual values does not mean we are engaging in politics as a spiritual practice.

Politics as a spiritual practice means adopting a different kind of approach, strategy and tone. Most importantly, spiritual politics is not just about what we say and do – rather it is based on our inner motivations. For the practitioner of spiritual politics, every word, vote, sign, march, publication, and rally is an opportunity to reach the hearts of others, to cultivate understanding, to reach out and connect with rivals, to love our enemies, to disarm with sincerity and kindness, to ignite their empathy and capacity for good, and to transform the common understanding of politics. We need to have more in mind than the next election. Spiritual politics requires more patience, strength, and endurance than ordinary politics.

This approach to politics does not use fear or anger as a resource. It does not employ sarcasm or ridicule or hyperbole. It does not involve deception or seek the winning of debates as a value in itself. It is not about personal accomplishment but rather humble service with a focus not on outcomes but on virtuous action. When deeply instilled, this approach provides an inner wellspring of hope, confidence, and equanimity that comes from wisdom – especially knowing what is in our power and what is not. This is the self-sacrificing politics of Mahatma Gandhi who stood against an empire; the compassionate politics of the Dalai Lama who defies one of the largest nations on earth; and the forgiving politics of Jimmy Carter, who crosses borders to join the hands of enemies. Also, many ordinary citizens who never achieved fame practice their religion by civic actions; for example, the activist Dorothy Day worked her entire life to help the poor, homeless and abandoned; the martyr Father Stanley Rother returned to his parish in Guatemala to help the campesinos learn to read and write, knowing he would be the target of government assassins; and the poet Father Daniel Berrigan went to prison for burning draft cards during the Vietnam War. These teacher/leaders linked their spiritual practice to the world of politics and achieved things that seemed impossible until they showed us how.

Spiritual leaders show us that social change is part of their vision. Jesus of Nazareth sat with prostitutes and lepers, keeping company with society’s outcasts. Muhammad overthrew the Arab tribal bonds and insisted that all humans stand radically equal, as the teeth in a comb. In modern times, Rabbi Heschel claimed he was praying with his feet in marching for civil rights and said he could not read his prayer book because every time he opened it he saw images of the children of Vietnam burning in napalm. Dr. Martin Luther King proclaimed we should stand against racism, materialism, and militarism even if it means serenely facing men with clubs and firearms. Thomas Merton pointed out The world is full of great criminals with enormous power, and they are in a death struggle with each other. A deep attachment to spirituality did not prevent these leaders from getting involved in issues of peace and justice.

If we care about the mystery of the human being, we must pay attention to the society in which we live. And thus, our greatest teachers, such as Nelson Mandela and Gandhi are champions of the marginalized and bravely speak truth to power. American society is profoundly hierarchical with a huge discrepancy between rich and poor, and today our government is actively helping to carry out a genocidal war against the people of Gaza. In recent decades our nation has visited horrendous violence on Iraq, Afghanistan, Iran, Syria and Lebanon, which constitute a terrible injustice to the Islamic people. Our society continues to prey on the citizens  of Latin America, Africa and southern Asia. Those of us who wish to follow a spiritual path cannot ignore the malevolent policies of our government.  

However, the combination of religion and politics is rife with potential abuse. It can easily be co-opted by fascists to lend themselves an aura of sacrosanct authority. And it can strip ordinary preachers from the power to speak for the weak and amplify the voices of those who have been silenced. As The Reverend William Barber II said at the 2016 Democratic National Convention:

We must shock this nation with the power of love.
We must shock this nation with the power of mercy.
We must shock this nation and fight for justice for all.
We can’t give up on the heart of our democracy.
Not now, not ever.

Spiritual leaders and followers have a complicated task in being involved in politics. Yes, we know that our Higher Power calls us to do justice and to love mercy, but we must always be on guard against thinking we have a monopoly on righteousness. As Omid Safi puts it:

There does come a time when it’s not about liberal or conservative, Republican or Democrat, blue state or red state, but about right and wrong. Each time we stare at a hungry child, a fleeing refugee, a weeping mother, an agonizing father, we know where that line is. There comes a time when we must decide that we will not be compassionate by proxy, but will take direct action to alleviate the suffering of one another.

We should never apologize for our ideals and passion. Nor should we think our favorite candidate perfectly embodies our ideals. We should never invest all our hopes and aspirations in a single campaign or political party. Every campaign is a practical compromised step moving us closer to the beloved community. And that means working with, not working for, flawed candidates and campaigns. Moreover, we are responsible only for our own actions and attitudes; we have no control over the results of our political activism. As Merton points out: Do not depend on the hope of results … [because] these are not in your hands or mine. Or as the Bhagavad-Gita puts it: Action alone is thine. Leave the fruits severely alone.

That being said, we do want our activism to influence the world, but we must be realistic about the very real limitations to our power. As my friend Mike Vargo responded after reading the first draft of this essay: 

I think a proper Christian spiritual approach to politics is: Love your enemies but be sure to outvote them. And I’m not a big fan of speaking truth to power. Power is not interested. Unless there is something in it for power, power doesn’t care. I think that speaking the truth eloquently & movingly does have an important place, and I think it’s most useful in speaking to those who are already open to hearing it. The members of the choir, the “undecided,” the thoughtful persons who might now be on the other side of the fence but are willing to listen. Give them a message to hang their thinking hats on. Give them music to move them to action. Now of course this may seem like a paradox. If you’re not aiming for results, why do anything? The trick is not to be motivated by feeling pressure or impatience to get a result. Especially a quick result. Gandhi’s Salt March didn’t get the salt tax abolished right away, but it was part of a process of changing hearts & minds and moving people to action. 

In this way, the spirit calls us to be engaged in messy politics, fraught with moral pitfalls and practical limitations. Despite these hazards, let us lift our voices and sing. And for those whose voices are too weak to sing, voices silenced or suppressed, we must sing for them in the symphony of the spirit. 

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Copyright 2024 Michael Simms

Michael Simms is the founding editor of Vox Populi. His most recent collection of poems is Strange Meadowlark (Ragged Sky, 2023). His novels include Bicycles of the Gods: A Divine Comedy (Madville, 2021).